Elk-toberfest, Italian cuisine and pairing events aplenty – time to grab your calendar

Pago – cellar reserve dinner

September 10th, 6.00 p.m.

Presented by founder and sommelier Scott Evans, this cellar reserve wine dinner will be held at the 9th and 9th Pago location. A five course menu with pairings is priced $195, food only at $95. Tickets available via Tock. Menu as follows:

• Welcome of Dolfo ‘Spirito’ Brut Nature 2015
• Heirloom tomato salad, ricotta, fregula tabbouleh, pistou, preserved lemon
  • Raventos, Blanc ‘Mas Del Seral’ 2010
• Poached lobster, mustard spaetzle, stewed tomato, hon shimeji mushrooms, tarragon
  • Simcic ‘Opoka’ Cru 2016
• Summer truffle, crispy pork belly, sweet corn chowder, Yukon potatoes, fava beans, black Summer truffle
  • Vieux telegraph ‘Relegramme’ 2020
• Rib eye, patatas bravas, piperade, smoked potato puree, chimichurri, cured egg yolk
  • Paolo Bea ‘Cerrete’ 2015
• Valrhona chocolate cremeux, brittle, berries
  • Quintarelli ‘A Roberto’ 2007

Stanza – Chianti wine dinner

September 13th, 6.30 p.m.

Executive chef Paul Carfaro will plate a five course menu with Javier Zuniga selecting a variety of Chianti pairings. Cost for dinner is $115 per person or $95 for food only, reservations can be made on OpenTable. Menu as follows:

• Antipasto & bruschetta, Italian speck prosciutto, hazelnut smoked blue cheese tart, chestnut honey, goat cheese, fig, bacon pecan crumble, rosemary & red onion focaccia bruschetta
  • Nozzole, chianti classico riserva docg, 2019
• Peperone rosso arrostito, pici all’aglione, Calbrian crostacei fra diavolo sauce, pacific clams, mussels, red crab claw, fresh basil & black garlic il pangrattato
  • Castello Di Bossi, chianti classico docg, 2019
• Gala apple & lychee sorbet, wildflower honey, candied lemon
• Braciola di vitello, rosemary compound butter, fingerling potatoes in duck fat, heirloom carrots with orange & ginger, wood ear mushrooms in marsala, leek tempura
  • Castello Di Querceto, chianti classico reserva docg, 2019
• Affogato & biscotti, turtle biscotti, espresso, rocky road gelato
  • Disaronno Amaretto liqueur

Veneto – Le Ripi Wine Dinner

September 14th

Head to Veneto for more Italian fun the next evening. From the restaurant – “Set aside an evening for a night in Montalcino drinking Brunello — one of the two most important Italian wines with the longest aging period in the world. Attendees will drink several vintages and verticals of all the Podere Le Ripi Brunellos, among other biodynamic Podere Le Ripi wines. Marco will be thoughtfully selecting the wines and designing a multi course menu for you to enjoy.” Price for the event is $275 per person.

Festa Italiana

September 16th & 17th

Make that a trio of opportunities to celebrate Italy. Back again for 2023, the celebration of all things Italian which last year attracted more than 40,000 people its Gateway location. Now in its eight year, Festa Italiana will provide “an authentic Italian street festival experience that is prevalent in many other cities across the country.”

Highlights of the festival include more than a dozen local Italian restaurants serving unique Italian food, performances by Italian musical artists, beer and specialty Italian wine, Italian car show, and local and Italian artist showcases. Saturday, noon to 10.00 p.m. Sunday, noon to 7.00 p.m. Admission to the event is free – more info here.

Mar | Muntanya – elk-toberfest

September 24th, 6.00 p.m.

The September edition of this downtown restaurant’s Spanish Summer Supper Series will focus on elk. Mar | Muntanya’s elk-toberfest will be helmed by executive chef Tyson Peterson and feature local farm-raised elk, farmer’s market produce, a ‘colossal hunter-style paella’ – as well as Basque cider.

The communal dinner will consist of a multi-course menu to be shared with friends and family, either inside Mar | Muntanya or on the sixth-floor outdoor terrace in a cozy dining globe.

Supper is priced at $75 per person, with the outdoor dining globes bookable for up to 8 people for $650, inclusive of a personal server for each globe and beverage pairing with each course. The dinners can be booked on Eventbrite or on Tock.

Other useful links

• Free newsletter – signup and receive our weekly newsletter for free
• Food talk group – chew the fat with other like-minded Utah foodies over on Facebook.
• Best of SLC 2024 – what you can’t miss in the Beehive right now.

Stuart Melling

Hi, I’m Stuart, nice to meet you!  I’m the founder, writer and wrangler at Gastronomic SLC.  I’m a multiple-award winning journalist and have written in myopic detail about the Salt Lake City  dining scene for the better part of seventeen years.

I’ve worked extensively with multiple local publications from Visit Salt Lake to Salt Lake Magazine, not least helped to consult on national TV.   Pause those credits, yep, that’s me! I’m also a former restaurant critic of more than five years, working for the Salt Lake Tribune.    I’m largely fueled by a critical obsession with rice, alliteration and the use of big words I don’t understand.   What they’re saying about me: “Not inaccurate”, “I thought he was older”, “I don’t share his feelings”.

Want to know more? This is why I am the way I am.